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Has Turkey Halted Bluetongue While the Balkans Suffers?

ANALYSIS – No further Bluetongue disease outbreaks have been reported by Turkey since a regional vaccination programme kicked off.

Turkish attempts to monitor and vaccinate for the disease are ongoing in the western border region of Kirklareli, where the sole Turkish outbreak was confirmed.

Meanwhile, reports of more cases from European neighbours flooded in last week from across the Balkans, including Serbia, the seventh country to succumb.

Map showing Turkey's isolated outbreak. Picture courtesy of OIE

Turkish veterinarians are quelling an outbreak which killed six sheep died by already reaching 332,300 livestock vaccinations. No reports concerned cattle.

This is according to World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) notifications, which documented a flare-up in central Romania earlier this week. The province of Vrancea reported 20 further outbreaks on Monday.

An earlier report from the last week confirmed seven more sheep deaths three more small cattle herds with the virus.

Serbia's outbreak came in the southern region of Srbija on one cattle and one sheep farm. Ten animals were infected in total.

Macedonia’s latest report has revealed the disease to be in fourteen regions, spreading mostly west and south from the initial case in Berovo in late July.

The disease is established in the southern districts of Gevgelija and was reported in the northern region of Skopje in Sveta Petka.

This week, Bulgarian farmers had almost 200 sheep destroyed and 1166 sheep die from Bluetongue, with two deaths in goats and cattle.

Most cases can be rationalised as appearing in two separate bands across the country. One running along the southern border with Greece and Turkey and another across central Bulgaria.

Further cases have been reported across Italy, which had the virus confirmed last September. Recent announcements confirmed 57 sheep deaths, three in goats and cases in Buffalo.